I was a little surprised that the local media thought that the U of I opening a t-shirt shop in downtown was a news story. And the Governor and Mayor show up? Was it news when Palmer Cash opened up downtown? At any rate in the ongoing rivalry between the two schools I think it is worth noting that while U of I is breaking its arm patting itself on the back for opening a merchandising storefront, Boise State has opened an academic storefront downtown on Main Street. Probably enough said there.
Before I leave the subject of U of I though, I am absolutely confounded about this “3rd year law” thing that U of I is proposing to host in the old Ada County Courthouse. I’m confounded because U of I law students have always had the option to do their third year here in Boise - so what’s the news? It still remains to be seem as to what will happen with the U of I law school’s maybe move to Boise - the new space will certainly aid that effort. But what I’m waiting for at least, is word about programming. My guess is that U of I won’t offer anything that will fit the needs of Boise based students, i.e., night classes for working professionals and streamlined financial assistance. Those will certainly be hallmarks of the Concordia program.
And while we’re on the subject of lawyers - there are so many negative comments about lawyers every time there’s an article about either of the law schools. I don’t get it. News flash to the unaware: those with law degrees do lots more than chase ambulances. Lawyers start and manage companies that employ people (Blackfin, and Keynetics are a couple in town that come to mind). Trus Joist and Washington Group were headed by managers with law degrees. I know “lawyers” who run web companies, “lawyers” that run non-profits, and “lawyers” that found start-ups. Yeah, its usually a good thing when a boat full of lawyers sinks, but there is absolutely nothing negative about new law schools coming to Boise.
Ok - I am officially turning 42 this weekend, and y’all are invited to come celebrate. We’ll be BBQing on the Traeger (thanks, Sherm!) and drinking some beer, and listening to my vinyl record collection. There may even be a karaoke machine and rock band. All you need to do is come, food and beer is all complements of #LittleCarol.
Saturday
May 1, 2010
Noon - Five
5510 Cassia St.
Boise, ID 83705
up on the Boise Bench
Last Sunday, Tim Woodward did a nice piece on Ignite Boise, calling it one of the best in the Northwest, and Darin Oswald complemented the story with great photographic work. Check it out at the Statesman’s website and we look forward to seeing all of you at the SOLD OUT Ignite Boise 4 THIS THURSDAY! W00t!
I’ve decided to go all aggregator today since time is short and news is long. Here’s what’s up:
TOO MUCH HUMAN CAPITAL IN CHINA
In China there are too many college grads and not enough jobs. So much for the theory about just creating lots of human capital.
PAY FOR TRANSIT OR TEAR OUT YOUR DOWNTOWN
So . . . why should we fund the bus system to a greater extent? Well it turns out that the more you reduce transit into the central business district (downtown) the more of your city you have to tear out to build parking lots. Want a more robust downtown? We’re gonna need that local option, yo.
EVERYONE BUT BOISE GETS TIGER FUNDS
It also turns out that the 100 largest cities in the U.S. (BOI is around 84 or 86 depending on who is estimating when and with what data) got 70% of the TIGER funds. Boise, as you recall, got bupkis. Does this foretell bad things? Are we not part of the renewed federal interest in cities?
HIGH SPEED RAIL FROM RENO TO SLC. BOI: NO TRAIN FOR YOU!
Another favorite of mine from this week is the discovery of a new advocacy group - the Western High Speed Rail Alliance. In another shut-out for Boise and Idaho, this coalition has formed to advocate for high-speed rail routes all over the west, including a route from SLC to Reno. SLC to Reno? Boise doesn’t figure in to the planning.
I got a tweet the other day with a link to this graph:
The text accompanying the tweet said, “U.S. population to decline 20% by 2050.” But that isn’t at all what this chart shows. This chart shows that the rate of population growth in the U.S. is declining, according to some model put together by some economist.
The reality is that America is still one of the fastest growing countries in the world, and by 2050 the America 2050 initiative believes we’ll add another 130 million people to our ranks.
So, um, no, the U.S. population is not shrinking, and remember that there are lies, damn lies, and statistics. Often they all look the same!
Uncategorized | admin September 1, 2010 | 
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